“As members of the Church at the 21^st Century, we face no more critical matter than the renewal of marriage and family life. This is a time to trust the truth God has revealed and a time to teach it with patience, persuasion and hope.”  — Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted

On January 1, 2010, Bishop Olmsted implemented a new marriage preparation policy for the Diocese of Phoenix called “Covenant of Love,” beginning a 3-year intensive focus on marriage in the Diocese of Phoenix.

• In 2010, the diocese devoted a greater zeal to helping engaged couples prepare for life together.
• 2011 saw us providing special energy and focus to already married couples, helping them deepen and renew their marriages.
• In 2012, we dedicated a particular diocesan focus to young people, still years away from marriage, through remote marriage preparation in the Catholic Academy for Life Leadership (C.A.L.L.) Program.

The following pages will walk you through the process taken in the Diocese of Phoenix to prepare for this new policy in detail.